Kip’s Comments - March 20, 2023

What We Saw (Quality Challenged)

After work this afternoon Kristy and I enjoyed another long walk at Sweet Marsh. Our goal was to see what might be happening on a very pleasant first day of spring.

From our vantage point on the dikes we observed many wildlife species. Since I was only handholding my camera today, my picture quality was less than I would have liked. Still, I am going to share some here so readers can see what was happening at the marsh.

Probably our most unusual find was this lone river otter swimming in water so shallow it could not dive down. Instead, it was slopping in the mud and muck before it eventually turned around and headed back to deeper water and then over the dike and into the safety of the Wapsipinicon River.

River Otter at Sweet Marsh - Image 795618

River Otter at Sweet Marsh - Image 795666

River Otter at Sweet Marsh - Image 795677

River Otter at Sweet Marsh - Image 795678

From a long distance away we watched a mink too. I have no pictures to share of the mink.

For birds we saw the regular waterfowl - swans, ducks, and geese (Canada, greater white-fronted, and snow geese).

Trumpeter Swans at Sweet Marsh - Image 795561

Northern Pintails at Sweet Marsh - Image 795345

Snow Geese at Sweet Marsh - Image 795540

None-waterfowl birds observed included sandhill cranes and bald eagles.

Sandhill Crane at Sweet Marsh - Image 795467

Bald Eagle at Sweet Marsh - Image 795265

Our surprise find was this barred owl watching us as we hiked.

Barred Owl at Sweet Marsh - Image 795287

I think we had a pretty good hike!